Seeing More Possibilities with Photoshop


In the previous section, I touched on the value of seeing the finished image when looking through your camera's viewfinder. The visualizing process of seeing, or planning in advance, what can be done to an image in Photoshop CS2 is so important that I want to stress it by sharing a few more before-and-after examples. To illustrate my points, I'll use full-frame, unprocessed photographs (raw files) that I took during a once-in-a-lifetime Quark Expeditions (www.quarkexpeditions.com) adventure to Antarctica.

My goal in this section isn't to show any so-called artistic techniquesthat is, applying special effects to an image. You'll see plenty of that later in this book. Rather, I'd like to show you how some basic Photoshop possibilitiesenhancements that I saw in my mind's eye when I was composing the imagestransformed already good pictures into more creative images. If you start out with a strong image, just imagine what you can do with it in Photoshop!

How do you "see" the end result? Well, having lots of experience taking pictures and working and playing in Photoshop helps. Talking to yourself, or rather, asking yourself when you're photographing if this or that technique would look cool, is another method (but don't talk out loud if you're in a group, or someone may think you're losing it).

Some of the following techniques, I admit, are simple. Often, however, when you keep it simple, that simplicity unlocks a new way of seeingand thinking.

Compose the Scene

Let's begin with an image from my Antarctica adventure (Figure 1.18). I took the picture of an iceberg knowing that lens flare, created by direct light falling on the front element of the lens, was dominating the upper left of the frame and ruining, in my mind, a full-frame image. However, my goal was not a full-frame shot. Rather, I envisioned a panoramic image of the dramatic iceberg with much less sky. I had to compose the scene in this manner from a bobbing Zodiac inflatable boat to get the very wide-angle effect I envisioned.

Figure 1.18.

Tech info: Canon EOS 1Ds Mark II, Canon 17-40mm lens @ 17mm. Exposure: 1/500 sec. @ f/11. ISO 100.


What's more, I saw a black-and-white image rather than a color image. Why? Because I like the look of black-and-white images of monochrome landscape scenes, and all the blue in this scene created a monotone image anyway.

To create the black-and-white image, I went to Image > Adjustments > Hue/Saturation and completely desaturated the image (Command-U: Mac or Ctrl-U: Win) (Figure 1.19). (Even better, use an Adjustment Layer. See the sidebar "Adjustment Layers Are a Must!" in Chapter 2.)

Figure 1.19.


After I desaturated the image, it looked a little flat. I boosted the contrast by going to Image > Adjustments > Brightness/Contrast and moving the Contrast slider a little to the right (Figure 1.20).

Figure 1.20.


Voilà! This is the image that appeared in my mind's eye when I first saw the magnificent natural ice sculpture (Figure 1.21).

Figure 1.21.


Here's a closer look at the same iceberg. At first glance, it looks like an OK picture (Figure 1.22). But wait!

Figure 1.22.

Tech info: Canon EOS 1Ds Mark II, Canon 17-40mm lens @ 17mm. Exposure: 1/500 sec. @ f/5.6. ISO 100.


Lens flare was still a problem, as you can see by the area I've outlined in the image (Figure 1.23). Come on. Be honest. Did you see it in the previous image? (By the way, digital SLR cameras are more susceptible to lens flare than film cameras, due to the reflectivity of the shiny image sensor: Light can bounce off the image sensor onto the rear element of the lens, causing flare.)

Figure 1.23.


Here, too, I envisioned a tighter shota tight, square image (Figure 1.24)and I think that this picture has more impact than the previous picture. I cropped the image using the Crop (press C: Mac or Win) tool, saved it, closed it, and then opened it again, for a reason you'll see shortly.

Figure 1.24.


At this stage, the image looked a bit flat, so I went to Image > Adjustments > Brightness/Contrast to boost the contrast. Overall, the picture looks better (Figure 1.25). But the part of the ice that was strongly illuminated by the sun is now overexposedan expected result of my boosting the contrast. No problem.

Figure 1.25.


I selected the History Brush from the Tool Bar (Figure 1.26) and "painted" back the detail in that area by going "back in time" to the unadjusted area of the picture. Keep in mind that had I cropped the picture after opening the image, I couldn't have used the History Brush, because it becomes inactive once a picture is cropped (unless you save a file, close it, and then reopen it).

Figure 1.26.


As you can see in this image, the History Brush works wonders (Figure 1.27)!

Figure 1.27.


Here I wanted to maintain a full-color image. However, I wasn't satisfied with the color. So, I went to Image > Adjustments > Hue/Saturation and boosted the Saturation (Figure 1.28).

Figure 1.28.


To increase the saturation even more and to make the image darker, I chose Image > Adjustments > Curves (Command-M: Mac or Ctrl-M: Win) and pulled down the Curves line from the center point (Figure 1.29).

Figure 1.29.


Compare this image (Figure 1.30) to the first shot in this sequence. What do you think?

Figure 1.30.


Here is another example of how you can use the History Brush to control contrast and brightness in a select area of an image (Figures 1.31 and 1.32). The picture that shows the overexposed breasts of the albatrosses was the result of increasing the contrast in a somewhat flat-looking image file. The properly exposed picture is the result of using the History Brush on the birds' breasts. That is the exposure I originally envisioned.

Figure 1.31.

Tech info: Canon EOS 1D Mark II, Canon 100-400mm lens @ 200 mm. Exposure: 1/250 sec. @ f/8. ISO 400.


Figure 1.32.

Tech info: Canon EOS 1D Mark II, Canon 100-400mm lens @ 200 mm. Exposure: 1/250 sec. @ f/8. ISO 400.


I took the picture of sea ice with a full-frame 15mm fisheye lens; when tilted up or down, this lens bends the horizon line (Figure 1.33). I wanted that exact effect when I saw this scene. (Standing in the near-freezing water was the hardest part of taking this picture.)

Figure 1.33.

Tech info: Canon EOS 1Ds Mark II, Canon 15mm lens. Exposure: 1/250 sec. @ f/8. ISO 100.


I thought the scene would have more impact as a black-and-white image, so I experimented with different methods for getting that result. In this case, I went to Image > Mode > Grayscale. (See Chapter 4 for detailed information on creating black-and-white images.)

Once again, here is the image I envisioned when I first saw this breathtaking scene (Figure 1.34).

Figure 1.34.


It's a good idea to try to see pictures within a picture. In this set of images, you can see two additional pictures I envisioned within the original, wide-angle photograph (Figures 1.35, 1.36, and 1.37).

Figure 1.35.

Tech info: Canon EOS 1Ds Mark II, Canon 17-40mm lens @ 17mm. Exposure: 1/500 sec. @ f/11. ISO 100.


Figure 1.36.

Tech info: Canon EOS 1Ds Mark II, Canon 17-40mm lens @ 17mm. Exposure: 1/500 sec. @ f/11. ISO 100.


Figure 1.37.

Tech info: Canon EOS 1Ds Mark II, Canon 17-40mm lens @ 17mm. Exposure: 1/500 sec. @ f/11. ISO 100.


See the Color of Light

In addition to training your eyes to see the light (the highlights and contrast in a scene), you need to learn how to see the color of light. Warm light has deeper shades of red, yellow, and orange than cool light, which has a blue cast.

The picture of a leopard seal was taken on an overcast day when the light was flat and gray (Figure 1.38).

Figure 1.38.

Tech info: Canon EOS 1D Mark II, Canon 100-400mm lens @ 200 mm. Exposure: 1/250 sec. @ f/8. ISO 400.


To warm up the picture, I chose Image > Adjustments > Photo Filter and applied Warming Filter (LBA) (Figure 1.39), adjusting the Density slider to suit my personal taste. As you can see, I cropped the picture a little for a square image (Figure 1.40).

Figure 1.39.


Figure 1.40.


Tip

For a perfect square, hold down the Shift key when using the Crop tool.


To achieve the opposite effectcooling off the imageI applied the Cooling Filter (80) (Figure 1.41), again adjusting the Density slider to taste (Figure 1.42).

Figure 1.41.


Figure 1.42.


Have Fun with Frames and Type

Envisioning the post-photography fun as well as the creative options that you can have in Photoshop is important. Part of that enjoyment can involve adding digital frames to a picture, and Photoshop offers some cool built-in digital frames.

When you compose a picture in-camera, it is usually a good idea to shoot tight and fill the frame with the main subject. However, if you plan to add certain types of frames to the image, you may want to leave some space around the edges.

Tip

Frames are included with Photoshop's built-in Actions. To load them, click the little fly-out arrow at the top right of the Actions dialog box. Then, click Frames in the pop-up menu.


On the next page are examples of the Drop Shadow (Figure 1.43) and Photo Corners frames (Figure 1.44).

Figure 1.43.


Figure 1.44.


And speaking of fun, when I'm in the field shooting, I often think about sharing my pictures with family, friends, and business associates. I compose a picture and add type to create an e-card (which is a low-resolution JPEG image with type embedded). Here's an e-card that I created on site, using onOne Software's PhotoFrame 2.5 (Figure 1.45); I send it to busy folks who don't return my phone calls.

Figure 1.45.


It pays to think before you shoot. Get practicing. See and picture your world in your own unique way.

Real Artists Shoot Raw (But Don't Panic If You Shoot JPEGs)

"Raw Rules" is a favorite chant during the digital photography workshops that I teach. My students, after learning about the power of shooting raw files combined with the tremendous capabilities of processing the files in Camera Raw, and after seeing what they have been missing by shooting JPEG images, adopt the "Raw Rules" chant with enthusiasmswearing they will never again shoot JPEG files for their serious shots.

For those JPEG shooters who haven't yet converted to the raw side (again, just for serious shots), this sidebar explains the top reasons to shoot raw files. I've also included some interesting stuff about shooting raw files and processing them in Camera Rawbecause processing a raw file, also called a digital negative, is an equally important step in getting a good final image.

First, however, I will say that there is a time and place to shoot a JPEG file. Because raw files take up much more memory than JPEG files, JPEG files may be preferred when memory card and hard drive space is limited. JPEG files can also be written to a memory card faster than raw files; when you're shooting an action sequence, a camera's buffer may fill up after shooting several raw files, due to their large size. When you're photographing a scene without strong highlights and shadows, a large JPEG file may produce just as nice a print (up to a point) as a raw file. Finally, my guess is that a wedding photographer who shoots 500 or 600 pictures a day may not want to shoot raw files and then have to process all of themalthough doing so is relatively easy, especially if your computer has lots of RAM.

Don't panic! If you shoot JPEG files or have lots of old JPEGs stuffed in folders on accessory hard drives, CDs, or DVDs, you can still use all the lessons in this book. Once you open a raw file in Photoshop CS2, processing is the same (except that you may have to change a 16-bit image to an 8-bit image [Image > Mode > 8 Bits] to access all of Photoshop CS2's functions, including some filters). But I recommend that you start, like all true artists, with the best possible tools at your fingertips.

To illustrate this lesson, I'll use some pictures that I took on one of my photography workshops at the Double JJ Ranch (Figure 1.46). I'll also share a few screen grabs from the Camera Raw dialog box. And speaking of the Camera Raw dialog box, that's where you process, and take total control of, the raw file. Get to know it. It can be your friend!

Figure 1.46.


Now, let's take a look at why Raw Rules. I've also included a few fun facts about raw files and Camera Raw that may be new to you:

  • JPEG files toss away a third or more of the image data, without even asking you. Can you imagine what that trashing does to your image? That's right: The image gets trashed. Raw files contain more image data than JPEG files, which is important when you want to capture the fine details in a scene, such as this beautiful cowgirl's freckles and eyelashes (Figure 1.47).

    Figure 1.47.

    Processing raw files in Camera Raw is less destructive to an image than processing a JPEG image in Photoshop CS2 because you're working in a 16-bit mode. The more bits an image file contains, the better the quality will be. It's similar to the situation faced by film photographers: If a landscape image shot with 35mm film looks OK, it will look great when photographed on 4x5 sheet film.

  • JPEG files are already processed when they come out of your camera, with color, sharpness, and other enhancements applied. With a raw file, you get the raw image that you can process to your heart's content. The only data applied to your image in-camera are the ISO, f-stop, and shutter speed. For scenes like this, where oversharpening and oversaturation (especially of the red tones in the cowboy's shirt) could cause a loss of detail, I prefer not to let the camera set the file's sharpness, contrast, and saturation (Figure 1.48).

    Figure 1.48.

  • Raw files have a wider exposure latitude than JPEG files, so they're more forgiving of your exposures. That's cool when you're shooting high-contrast scenes or scenes with bright highlights, such as the sand on the beach of this small island (Figure 1.49).

    Figure 1.49.

  • Camera Raw has the amazing ability to recover overexposed areas of a scenesometimes a full f-stop. That's helpful when you're photographing scenes like this in which the white on the horses may be a bit overexposed (Figure 1.50).

    Figure 1.50.

  • The histogram on your camera's LCD monitor isn't the histogram for the raw image, but for a JPEG version of that image. Judge your exposure accordingly.

  • The overexposure warning on your camera isn't for the raw image. Again, it's for a JPEG version of that image.

  • The highlight and shadow clipping warnings in Camera Raw make it easy for you to see what areas of an image are or will be washed out (shown in red) or lost in the shadows (shown in blue) (Figures 1.51 and 1.52). (Because I didn't have an incorrectly exposed picture from my trip, I simulated the over- and underexposure effects in Camera Raw to illustrate the clipping warnings.)

    Figure 1.51.

    Figure 1.52.

    See? I did get a good exposure of the cowgirl's boot and spurs (which is a top stock photography seller, by the way) (Figure 1.53).

    Figure 1.53.

  • You can easily correct and adjust all of the following using the Camera Raw plug-in: exposure, white balance, contrast, saturation, brightness, tint, chromatic aberrations, luminance, color noise, sharpness, and vignetting. You can even calibrate Camera Raw to your camera. Shown here are the dialog boxes for the Adjust, Detail, Lens, Curve, and Calibrate tabs (Figures 1.54 through 1.58).

    Figure 1.54.

    Figure 1.55.

    Figure 1.56.

    Figure 1.57.

    Figure 1.58.

  • Camera Raw, in conjunction with Adobe Photoshop CS2 and Adobe Bridge, makes finding, processing, and enhancing pictures super easyand fun!

My guess is that you now agree: Raw Rules! However, it's as important as ever to start with the best possible in-camera image and to carefully select the subject and compose the scene, two of the most important elements in photography. This picture of cowboys herding horses is one of my favorites from my Michigan workshop (Figure 1.59). Believe it or not, the image needed little image processing, because I followed my own picture-taking advice.

Figure 1.59.



 




Idea to Image in Photoshop CS2(c) Rick Sammon's Guide to Enhancing Your Digital Photographs
Idea to Image in Photoshop CS2: Rick Sammons Guide to Enhancing Your Digital Photographs
ISBN: 0321429184
EAN: 2147483647
Year: 2006
Pages: 72
Authors: Rick Sammon

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